Annual Report of Immigrant Visa Applicants in the Family-sponsored and

Employment-based preferences Registered at the National Visa Center

as of November 1, 2022

Most prospective immigrant visa applicants qualify for status under the law on the basis of family
relationships or employer sponsorship. Entitlement to visa processing in these classes is established
ordinarily through approval by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of a petition filed on
the applicant's behalf. The petitions of applicants who will be processed at an overseas post are
forwarded by USCIS to the Department of State; applicants in categories subject to numerical limit are
registered on the visa waiting list discussed below (Applications for adjustment of status under INA 245
which are pending at USCIS Offices are not included in the tabulation of the immigrant waiting list data
which is being provided at this time. As such, the following figures ONLY reflect petitions which the
Department of State has received, and do not include the significant number of applications held with
the USCIS Offices.)

Each case is assigned a priority (i.e., registration) date based on the filing date accorded to the petition.
Applicants are advised to assemble and submit required documents (i.e., become documentarily
qualified) when their priority date is within the application filing dates which are published each month
by the Department of State in the Visa Bulletin. Meanwhile, visa issuance within each numerically
limited category is possible only if the applicant's priority date is within the applicable final action dates,
also published in the Visa Bulletin. Eligible applicants are subject to overall worldwide annual numerical
limits within their respective categories; in addition, a per-country limit on such preference immigrants
set by INA 202 places a maximum on the number of visas which may be issued in a single year to
applicants from any one country regardless of where they are processed. The totals in this report reflect
applicants at all stages of this process – those that are not yet documentarily qualified, those that are
documentarily qualified and waiting for their priority date to become current, and those whose priority
date is current and are waiting to be scheduled for an interview.

The following figures are compiled from the NVC report submitted to the Department on November 1,
2022 and show the number of immigrant visa applicants on the visa waiting list in the various
preferences and subcategories subject to numerical limit. All figures reflect persons registered under
each respective numerical limitation, i.e., the totals represent not only principal applicants or petition
beneficiaries, but their spouses and children entitled to derivative status under INA 203(d) as well.

The Family-sponsored and Employment-based totals provided in this year’s waiting list report are
considerably higher than would normally be expected. This stems from COVID-19 related issues
severely impacting the ability of overseas posts to process such cases since April 2020, resulting in their
retention at NVC and inclusion in this year’s report. Please see here for reporting on the Immigrant Visa
Scheduling Backlog, a subset of this total data.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Family-sponsored Preferences

As of As of % of Change
Category Nov. 1, 2021 Nov. 1, 2022 From 2021 Totals

FAMILY FIRST 291,645 282,459 (-3.1%)

FAMILY SECOND TOTAL 799,080 795,426 (-0.5%)
2A-Spouses/Children: 390,489 383,653 (-1.8%)
2B-Adult Sons/Daughters: 408,591 411,773 (+0.8%)
FAMILY THIRD 638,590 617,140 (-3.4%)
FAMILY FOURTH 2,240,258 2,220,476 (-0.9%)
TOTAL 3,969,573 3,915,501 (-1.4%)

Number of Applicants on Waiting List in Family-based

Preference Categories as of Nov. 1, 2021 vs. Nov. 1, 2022
2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

0
F1 F2A F2B F3 F4
2021 291,645 390,489 408,591 638,590 2,240,258
2022 282,459 383,653 411,773 617,140 2,220,476

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Employment-based Preferences

As of As of % of Change
Category Nov. 1, 2021 Nov. 1, 2022 From 2021 Totals

EMPLOYMENT FIRST 13,202 8,818 (-33.2%)

EMPLOYMENT SECOND 38,458 43,962 (+14.3%)
EMPLOYMENT THIRD TOTAL 66,576 68,567 (+3.0%)
Skilled Workers: 48,482 41,838 (-13.7%)
Other Workers: 18,094 26,729 (+47.7%)
EMPLOYMENT FOURTH TOTAL 1,045 1,303 (+24.7%)
EMPLOYMENT FIFTH TOTAL 52,336 45,498 (-13.1%)
TOTAL 171,617 168,148 (-2.0%)

GRAND TOTAL 4,141,190 4,083,649 (-1.4%)

Number of Applicants on Waiting List in Employment-based

Preference Categories as of Nov. 1, 2021 vs. Nov. 1, 2022
60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0
E1 E2 E3 EW E4 E5
2021 13,202 38,458 48,482 18,094 1,045 52,336
2022 8,818 43,962 41,838 26,729 1,303 45,498

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 Immigrant Waiting List
By Country

Immigrant visa issuances during fiscal year 2023 will be limited by the terms of INA 201 to no
more than 226,000 in the family-sponsored preferences and approximately 197,000 in the
employment-based preferences. (Visas for "Immediate Relatives" - i.e., spouses, unmarried
children under the age of 21 years, and parents of U.S. citizens - are not subject to numerical
limitation.)

It should by no means be assumed that once an applicant is registered, the case is continually
included in the waiting list totals unless and until a visa is issued. Consular procedures mandate
a regular culling of visa cases to remove from the count those unlikely to see further action, so
that totals are not unreasonably inflated.

The ten countries with the highest number of waiting list registrants in FY 2023 are listed
below; together these represent 75.7% of the total. This list includes all countries with at least
78,000 persons on the waiting list. Section 202 of the INA prescribes that visa issuances to
nationals of any single country may not exceed seven percent during a fiscal year. This limit
serves to avoid the potential monopolization of the annual limitation by applicants from only a
few countries. That limitation is not a quota to which any particular country is entitled,
however. For FY 2023 the per-country limit will be approximately 29,610.

Country Applicants
Mexico 1,211,140
Philippines 296,037
India 293,569
Dominican Republic 283,834
Vietnam 228,673
China – mainland born 226,607
Bangladesh 218,165
Pakistan 138,513
Haiti 117,918
El Salvador 78,776
All Others 990,417
Worldwide Total 4,083,649

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 Family-sponsored Immigrant Waiting List By Country

The ten countries with the highest number of Family-sponsored waiting list registrants are
listed below; together these represent 75.7% of the total. This list includes all countries with at
least 78,000 persons on the waiting list. (The per-country limit in INA 202 sets an annual
maximum on the amount of Family preference visas which may be issued to applicants from
any one country; the FY 2023 per-country limit will be 15,820.)

Family-sponsored Preferences

Country Total
Mexico 1,205,759
Dominican Republic 283,702
Philippines 279,645
India 254,184
Vietnam 223,472
Bangladesh 216,134
China – mainland born 167,245
Pakistan 137,150
Haiti 117,872
El Salvador 78,414
All Others 951,924
Worldwide Total 3,915,501

Family-sponsored Immigrant Waiting List By Country

All Others Mexico

951,924 1,205,759

El Salvador
78,414
Haiti
117,872

Pakistan
137,150
Dominican Republic
China - mainland born 283,702
167,245
Bangladesh
Philippines
216,134
Vietnam India 279,645
223,472 254,184

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 Family-sponsored Immigrant Waiting List By Region

A breakdown of the NVC waiting list by region is:

Region Total
Africa 163,729
Asia 1,525,611
Europe 115,879
N. America* 1,924,623
Oceania 5,295
S. America 180,364
Family Total 3,915,501

Family-sponsored Preference Immigrant Waiting List

By Region
S. America Africa
Oceania 180,364 163,729
5,295

Asia
1,525,611

N. America
1,924,623

Europe
115,879

*North America includes Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES

Family FIRST Preference:

The worldwide Family FIRST preference numerical limitation is 23,400. The top ten countries
with the highest F1 waiting list totals are:

Family First Preference Percent of Category

Country Total Waiting List
Mexico 90,317 32.0%
Dominican Republic 29,608 10.5%
Philippines 23,494 8.3%
Jamaica 15,124 5.4%
Haiti 14,259 5.0%
El Salvador 10,325 3.7%
Cuba 7,188 2.5%
Vietnam 5,803 2.1%
Colombia 5,217 1.8%
Honduras 5,160 1.8%
All Others 75,964 26.9%
Total 282,459 100%

Cases are being added to the waiting list in this category not only by the approval of new FIRST
preference petitions, but also through automatic conversion of pending 2B cases into FIRST
preference upon the naturalization of the petitioner.

The prospect for increasing future demand in the FIRST preference could result in slower
advances in the worldwide final action date as a consequence. Only two countries, Mexico and
Philippines, have FIRST preference final action dates which are earlier than the worldwide date.
(NOTE: A Family 2B petition automatically converts to a Family FIRST petition if the petitioner
naturalizes. However, Section 6 of the Child Status Protection Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-208,
provides relief for Family 2B applicants who would be disadvantaged by a conversion to Family
FIRST status due to a less favorable Family FIRST final action date).

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Family SECOND Preference:

The total Family SECOND preference waiting list figure is 795,426. Of these, 383,653 (48.2%) are
spouses and children of permanent residents of the United States (the 2A class), and 411,773
(51.8%) are adult unmarried sons/daughters of permanent residents (the 2B class). The Family
SECOND preference represents 20.3% of the total Family preference waiting list. It will receive
114,200 visa numbers for FY 2023, just over half of the 226,000 family preference total; 77% of
SECOND preference numbers are provided to 2A applicants, while the remaining 23% go to the
2B class.

2A: About 87,900 visa numbers are available for use during FY 2023. The top ten countries with
the highest 2A waiting list totals are:

Family 2A Preference Percent of Category

Country Total Waiting List
Mexico 99,822 26.0%
Dominican Republic 77,546 20.2%
Cuba 24,018 6.3%
Haiti 20,555 5.4%
Philippines 16,601 4.3%
El Salvador 14,796 3.8%
Vietnam 11,406 3.0%
Guatemala 8,877 2.3%
Honduras 8,271 2.1%
Jamaica 6,766 1.8%
All Others 94,995 24.8%
Total 383,653 100%

Upon naturalization of the petitioner, a pending 2A case is converted automatically into the
“Immediate Relative” visa category, which is not subject to numerical limit and therefore has no
visa waiting period. As a result, the number of cases being processed in the “Immediate
Relative” category may increase and partially offset new F2A filings.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

2B: Visa numbers for this class of adult sons and daughters will be approximately 26,260 during
FY 2022. The top ten countries with the highest 2B waiting list totals are:

Family 2B Preference Percent of Category

Country Total Waiting List
Mexico 121,127 29.4%
Dominican Republic 76,291 18.5%
Philippines 47,545 11.6%
Haiti 19,845 4.8%
Vietnam 19,140 4.7%
Cuba 18,131 4.4%
El Salvador 15,709 3.8%
China - mainland born 10,916 2.7%
Ecuador 6,259 1.5%
Jamaica 5,821 1.4%
All Others 70,989 17.2%
Total 411,773 100%

Some of the 2B applicants were formerly counted in the 2A waiting list and have since turned
21.

Family THIRD Preference:

The annual visa limit is 23,400. Two oversubscribed countries (Mexico and Philippines) have
sufficiently heavy demand in this preference to require a final action date substantially earlier
than the worldwide date. The top ten countries with the highest F3 waiting list totals are:

Family Third Percent of Category

Country Preference Total Waiting List
Mexico 198,689 32.2%
Philippines 100,561 16.3%
India 35,852 5.8%
Vietnam 28,894 4.7%
Dominican Republic 17,436 2.8%
Haiti 15,956 2.6%
China - mainland born 15,859 2.6%
Pakistan 14,212 2.3%
Cuba 11,317 1.8%
Nigeria 10,782 1.7%
All Others 167,582 27.2%
Total 617,140 100%

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Family FOURTH Preference:

Applicants registered in the Family FOURTH preference total 2,220,476. Annual visa issuances
are limited to 65,000. The waiting period for the Family FOURTH preference is longer than any
other category because the demand significantly exceeds the number of available visas. The
countries listed below have the largest number of FOURTH preference applicants:

Family Fourth Percent of Category

Country Preference Total Waiting List
Mexico 695,804 31.3%
India 208,488 9.4%
Bangladesh 202,213 9.1%
Vietnam 158,229 7.1%
China - mainland born 133,315 6.0%
Pakistan 114,990 5.2%
Philippines 91,444 4.1%
Dominican Republic 82,821 3.7%
Haiti 47,257 2.1%
El Salvador 27,441 1.3%
All Others 458,474 20.7%
Total 2,220,476 100%

The waiting period in this preference is now over fifteen years for countries of most favorable
visa availability and even longer for some oversubscribed countries (notably Mexico and
Philippines).

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 Employment-based Immigrant Waiting List By Country

It is important to note that normally about eighty-five percent of all Employment preference
immigrants are processed as adjustment of status cases at USCIS offices. Cases pending with
USCIS are not counted in the consular waiting list tally presented below. Therefore, in several
Employment categories the waiting list totals being provided below significantly understate real
immigrant demand. The Employment waiting list counts not only prospective workers, but also
their spouses and children entitled under the law to derivative preference status.

The five countries with the highest number of Employment-based waiting list registrants are
listed below; together these represent 75.9% of the total. This list includes all countries with at
least 5,300 persons on the waiting list. (The per-country limit in INA 202 sets an annual
maximum on the amount of Employment preference visas which may be issued to applicants
from any one country; the FY 2023 per-country limit will be approximately 13,790.)

Employment-based Preferences

Country Total
China - mainland born 59,362
India 39,385
Philippines 16,392
Korea, South 7,025
Mexico 5,381
All Others 40,603
Worldwide Total 168,148

Employment-based Immigrant Waiting List

By Country

All Others
40,603 China -
mainland born
59,362

Mexico
5,381
Korea, South
7,025

Philippines
16,392
India
39,385

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 Employment-based Immigrant Waiting List By Region

A breakdown of the NVC waiting list by region is:

Region Total
Africa 7,088
Asia 139,201
Europe 5,555
N. America* 9,229
Oceania 308
S. America 6,767
Employment Total 168,148

Employment-based Immigrant Waiting List By Region

Oceania S. America
308 6,767
Africa
N. America* 7,088
9,229

Europe
5,555

Asia
139,201

*North America includes Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

 EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES

Employment FIRST Preference:

Top countries are:

Employment First Percent of Category
Country Preference Total Waiting List
China - mainland born 3,816 43.3%
India 1,064 12.1%
Canada 542 6.1%
Brazil 341 3.9%
Korea, South 304 3.4%
Russia 236 2.7%
Great Britain and Northern Ireland 218 2.5%
Iran 198 2.2%
Venezuela 153 1.7%
Mexico 106 1.2%
All Others 1,840 20.9%
Total 8,818 100%

This category is "current" at present for all countries.

Employment SECOND Preference:

Top countries are:

Employment Second Percent of Category
Country Preference Total Waiting List
India 23,916 54.4%
China - mainland born 9,330 21.2%
Korea, South 3,086 7.0%
Brazil 1,383 3.1%
Iran 905 2.1%
All Others 5,342 12.2%
Total 43,962 100%

Sufficiently heavy demand in the Employment Second Preference category has necessitated the
establishment of a final action date for all countries. Two oversubscribed countries (China-
mainland born and India) have enough demand to require earlier final action dates.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Employment THIRD Preference:

Skilled Worker/Professional Components - Top countries are:

Employment Third
Preference: Skilled Percent of
Worker/Professional Category Waiting
Country Components List
India 12,701 30.3%
Philippines 12,085 28.9%
China - mainland born 3,457 8.3%
Kenya 2,177 5.2%
Korea, South 919 2.2%
All Others 10,499 25.1%
Total 41,838 100%

Other Worker Components - Top Countries are:

Employment Third Percent of

Preference: Other Worker Category Waiting
Country Components List
Mexico 4,202 15.7%
Philippines 4,053 15.2%
China - mainland born 3,855 14.4%
Vietnam 3,274 12.3%
Korea, South 2,092 7.8%
All Others 9,253 34.6%
Total 26,729 100%

Two oversubscribed countries (China-mainland born and India) have sufficiently heavy demand
in the Employment Third Preference to require final action dates at present; the category is
“current” for all other countries. In the Third “Other Worker” Preference category, worldwide
demand has been sufficient to necessitate a final action date, while China-mainland born and
India require earlier final action dates.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)

Employment FOURTH Preference:

Top countries are:

Employment Fourth Percent of Category

Country Preference Waiting List
India 200 15.4%
Mexico 105 8.1%
Korea, South 64 4.9%
Philippines 54 4.1%
Nigeria 47 3.6%
All Others 833 63.9%
Total 1,303 100%

The above Employment Fourth Preference category totals include the SR category.

Sufficient demand has required the establishment of a final action date for the Employment
Fourth Preference category for all countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico
have demand that requires earlier final action dates.

Employment FIFTH Preference:

Top countries are:

Employment Fifth Percent of Category
Country Preference Waiting List
China - mainland born 38,874 85.4%
Vietnam 1,534 3.4%
India 1,362 3.0%
Hong Kong S.A.R. 688 1.5%
Korea, South 560 1.2%
All Others 2,480 5.5%
Total 45,498 100%

The Fifth Preference (C5, I5, R5, and T5) categories are “current” at present for all countries
except China and India.

AILA Doc. No. 23022213. (Posted 2/22/23)